Catalonia

Criticisms of Mariano Rajoy’s administration for they way it has behaved during the referendum haven’t stopped coming all day from all over the world. The brutal force of the police and the civil guard that we saw yesterday in Catalonia; the refusal to dialogue with the different actors before, during… »

As the day of the referendum advances in Catalonia, the state police contingent is intensifying its repression. Tear gas, rubber bullets, very strong aggression against young, old and even the injured who are hit again. The state police attack with excessive brutality.  Faced with such a situation, the massive rebellion… »

Hundreds of thousands of Catalans queue up in the rain in front of polling stations to vote in the referendum on Catalonia’s independence.  This is a nonviolent demonstration, a sign of peaceful expression by a people who want to express themselves and break the siege of repression and the force… »

Spanish state police forces burst in with violence first thing this morning, but the popular wave is very large and multi-centred.  There is a disparity of situations, in many places the atmosphere is festive while in others there are police charges. During the course of the day, various strategies are… »

At the beginning everything went peacefully. Despite the rain, many people were waiting in front of polling stations at schools since the early morning.  General suffrage was announced this morning by the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs.  This will allow all citizens to vote, even if their polling stations… »

Ada Colau, Mayor of Barcelona, sent a letter to 27 mayors of European Union capital cities, explaining the serious situation that Catalonia is going through after the interventions by the Spanish government, understanding that what is happening goes beyond a merely Spanish conflict and affects the whole of Europe.  She… »

“We’re Muslims, not terrorists” Over 140 Muslim groups and associations from Barcelona and neighbouring areas participated in a gathering this Mondy in Plaza Catalunya in response to the attacks on Thursday 17th August in the Catalan capital and in Cambrils (Tarragona).  The event was organised under the slogan “The Muslim… »

The potential future president of Spain’s autonomous Catalonia region has called for the process of independence from Spain to start. “We need… to start the process to set up an independent state in Catalonia,” Carles Puigdemont said in a speech to Catalonia’s regional parliament on Sunday. After months of infighting over who would lead Catalonia’s… »

In recent days we have heard President Obama calling for Spanish Unity, as if he were acting as a matchmaker or a marriage broker, just as in the past we heard the same from General Franco. And it’s true that the relationship between Catalonia and the Spanish state was never… »

The leader of Spain’s wealthy Catalonia region has signed a decree calling early parliamentary elections for September. The elections have been portrayed as a proxy vote on independence. Catalan President Artur Mas on Monday formally called the polls to elect a new regional parliament for September… »